stocking



May 26, 1931.

ca. E. sTocKlNG APPARATUS FCR WASHINGVVEGETABLES AND FRUITS 2Sheets-Sheet l AFilcad Aug. 8. 1928 .FIIIII III IIPIII I N VEN TOR.

A TTORNE YJ Patented May 26, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGEns'rOoKINaOF ROCHELLE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR on ONE-FOURTH 'ro BERLIN yOHAPMAN COMPANY, on BERLIN, WrsooNsTN, A ooRron-ATTON OF WISCONSINAPPARATS FOB WASHING VEGETABLES AND FRUITS Application filed August 8,1328. Serial No.V 298,287.

rIhis invention relates to improvements .in apparatus for washingvegetables and fruit, and is more particularly adapted for use incleaning asparagus. Heretofore asparagus has been washed by hand', thesaid method of cleaning being slow, tedious,andl inefficient, sand andgrit frequently being left beneath the petals. It is one ofthe objectsof this invention to i( provide an apparatus for and method of washingasparagus with theuse of ama-chine by means of which all foreign matteris eficiently removed.

A further object of this invention is to 4.1.5 providel ani apparatusforlwashing asparagus which will not break OH `the tender heads orOtherwise injure the produce.

A further Object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for andmethod of washing asparagus in which Warm water is used forthe purposeof shrinking and separating the petals, so as toy permitthe sandand dirtto be readily removed fromunderneath said petals.

`It is afurther object ofthis invention to provide an apparatus for andmethod of washing vegetables and fruits which is simple and well adaptedfor the purpose described. With the above and other objects in view, theinvention consists of the improvedapparatus for and method of washingvegetables and fruits and all its parts andY combinations as set forthin the claims,and all equivalents thereof. 1

,In the accompanying drawings, inuwhich the same referencecharactersdesignate the same parts Vin all of the views: C

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view ofthe improved apparatus; i 'f E,

Fig. 2 is asectional view takenon line 2 2 ofFig.1;and y b Fig. 3 is a'sectionalview taken on line 3-3ofFig.1. .Y ReferringV more particularlyvto the drawings, the numeral 5 designates a drum or receptacle which issubstantially egg-shape in cross-section, as will be clear from Figs. 2Vand 3, and which is supported in any suitable manner as by legs 6.Rotatably mounted upon rollers?, within the drum 5,.,s aforame vitsinner side with aspiral flange or flightl which is seouredto the innercircumference of the drum 8in any suitable manner, and which serves tofeed the asparagus or vegetables or fruit, lwhich are introduced into'the interior of said drum 8 through a feeding hopper 1li,

toward the other end of said drum.

Positioned between the convolutions of the spiral 13, at yvariouspoints, are a plurality of ballie plates 15 having perforations 1-5therein'. The baille plates are provided with flanged sides, by means ofwhich the plates are secured between adjacent Aconvolutions of thespiral 13. These baille plates constitute one of the'importantnovelfeatures of the invention, as they providemeans for'liftina` theasparagus stems from the Vwater `used within theY device, and fordropping them into the water upon eachY revolution of the spiral.

The drum 8, at its right hand end,` as viewed in Fig. 1, is providedwitha plurality of radially extending plates16,the'inner ends of whichare preferably reversely curved, as at 17to receive and discharge fromthe drum, the asparagus or other vegetablesor fruit. The said reverselybent'portions 17 act as discharging buckets to collect said vegetablesor .fruityand discharge the same'throughA an outlet opening 18 providedat the right hand endof the outer drum or container 5, as will be clearfrom Fig. 1. 4

A skimming pipe 2O extends longitudinally within the container 5 andoutside of the drum 8 and is provided with a plurality of enlargedskimming hoppers 2l which extend above and drain into the pipe 20, aswill be clear from Fig. 1, to receive the scum' from the surface ofthewater. Said hoppers extend substantially the entire length ofthe drumand their upper. open portions are approximately in alinement with thesurface of water within the drum. The said pipe 20 is intermittentlyopened to receive the flow of scum and the opening is controlled by avalve 22 which may be automatically actuated throughgthe springretrieved valve lever 23 and a rotating cam 24 which cam` is driventhrough the belt 25 and gears 26 from the shaft ll, as will be readilyunderstood. By the' provision of the intermittent flow, the scum will bemore efficiently caused tor How into the openings of the hoppers 2l fromall portions of the surface of the water, as the intermittent movementwill p continually change the direction of iiow. Furthermore thedirection of rotation ofthe drum will te'ndvtoE move the scum towardsthe hoppers and, as shown in Fig. 3i, the lower portion of each hopperinlet opening extends a slight distance below the surface line ofthewater within the tank to permit the free entrance of the scum.

Water is' supplied to the drumthrough the pipe 27 which extends throughthe outer drum and along the' end wall of the drum and is'formedI withopenings 27 to direct the flow of water towards `the opposite end of thedrum, as. indicated by the arrows in Fig. l. As thus directed the How ofthe upper portion of the water will be towards the opposite end oftheVdrum While the flow of the lower portion of the water will be in theopposite direc# tion, asI indicated by the said arrows. In flowing intheopposite direction the water will be deiected downwardly by theangularly disposed transverse members 28 and move any sludge settlinginthe bottom portionr of the tank towards the discharge opening 29 ofthe discharge pipe 30. Said pipe extends outwardly and upwardly to apoint approximately on a levelI with the surface of the water within thedrum and is formed with a hinged end part 31 to adjust the level of saidsurface.v The water is heated by steam from a perforated: pipe 32 which'extends into the outer drumy longitudinally of its length and below thelevel of the surface of the water. v

In use, the asparagus, or other vegetables or fruit,-isintroduced'intothe inclined feeding hopper 14, from which itis fed into'the interior ofthe foraminous drum,- as above described,` the said drum being rotatedthrough. the shaft ll andthe gearsy 9 and'ld The food product-will befed longitudinally through the drums 8 by means of the threaded actionof the spiral of the4 flange 1'3, and will be subjected' to the effectof the steam1spray'ed hot water which flows into the interior of thecontainer 5 from the water pipel 27. lith each revolution of the spiralthe asparagus or other foodis lifted out of the water within the drumbyone of the bafiie plates 15, is carried around by. said plate, andy isagain dropped into the: water. By thu-s providing the halide plates, theproduce is carried in and out of the water and is thoroughly cleansedwithout impairing it in any way.

As the food product approaches the ri ht hand end of the apparatus, asviewed in 4ig. l, the particles ofsand, dirt,or other foreign matterwhich hasbeen separated from the vegetables or fruit, will be worked outof the perforations of the inner drum by rotation of said drum, and bythe flow of the water which fills the container up to substantially thelevel indicated by the dotted line 30 in Figs. 2`and' 3, and will bedischarged from the outer drum by means of the hopper members 2l, andthrough the discharge pipe 30. rPhe vegetables or fruit will bedischarged from` the endof the spiral flight by means of the bucketmembers 17. During the operation the automatic valves 22 will be' turnedon and ofi? to intermittently discharge the scum from the surface of thewater by means of the cam and spring retrieved levers 24: and 23'.

A novel feature of this inventiom when used in cleaning asparagus,resides inthe use of sufficiently hot Water to shrink and separate thepetals ofthe asparagus so as to permit the sand and dirt to be readilyremoved from underneath` said petals.

Although the apparatus and method are more particularly adapted to theWashing of asparagus, it is noty desired to be so limited, as othervegetables or fruits may be very efficiently cleaned by the apparatusland methoddescribed herein.

By using the apparatus without water it is possible to scarify andpolish vegetables and fruit i-n a veryeificient manner.

From the foregoing description it may be seen that the improvedapparatus for and method of washing vegetables and fruit is simple andwell adapted for the purpose described. i

W'hat l' claim is :i

l. An apparatus for treatin food material comprisingV an .outer waterhol ing` receptacle, al foraminous drum rotatably mounted in saidreceptacle and having an opening for receiving food material, spiralmeans for moving saidmaterials through said drum, and lifting memberscarried' byconvolfutions ofsaid spiral, each ofsaid lifting members inone positionV being entirely clear of the water in the outer receptacle,and in.y another posi-tion bei-ngV entirely submerged therein to enablesaid lifting members to carry theffoodymaterial in' and out of the Wateras the material is being moved through the drum.

2f VAn apparatus for treating food material comprising an outerwaterholdingreceptacle,

a foraminous drum rotatably mounted in said receptacle and having airopening for receiving food material, spiral means for, moving saidmaterialithrough said: drum', and' perfor ated lifting. members*carriedv by convolutions lZO of said spiral, each of said liftingmembers in one position being entirely clear of the Water in the outerreceptacle, and in another position being entirely submerged therein 5to enable said lifting members Ato carry the food material in and out ofthe Water as the material is being moved through the drum.

3. An apparatus for treating food material comprising an outer Waterholding receptacle, lo a foraminous drum rotatably mounted in saidreceptacle and having an opening for receiving food material, spiralmeans for moving said material through said drum, and lifting memberscarried by eonvolutions of said l spiral, the lifting member of oneconvolution being staggered with relation to the lifting members of adjacent convolutions, each of said lifting members in one position beingentirely clear of the Water in the outer receptacle, and in anotherpositionbeing entirely submerged therein to enable said lifting membersto carry the food material in and out of the Water as the material isbeing moved through the drum. In testimony whereof, I aix my signature.

GEORGE E. STOCKING.

